We began from the Caravan Park at Troutbeck Head but this walk can be started from High Row above Dockray where there is free parking for several cars - Grid Ref NY380219

14.8 Miles - if starting from High Row the total mileage is 10 miles

Mountain paths both stony & grassy. The conditions underfoot were good although the path from Dowthwaitehead to the wall turning for Birkett Fell was boggy in places. The path from Randerside to The Old Coach Road was also intermittently boggy.

Walk Description

The superb airy ridge from Helvellyn to Clough Head provides some of the best walking in the Lake District. In the middle of the ridge sit The Dodds (Stybarrow Dodd, Watson's Dodd & Great Dodd) - three summits that provide a switchback route which are normally combined with Calfhow Pike & Clough Head to enable a superb Horseshoe from High Row near Dockray. There are many ways up on to the ridge but once on the top some fantastic high level walking can be enjoyed. The paths are mostly grassy swathes that sweep from summit to summit and the views on a clear day from all 3 peaks are excellent - this is ridge walking to be enjoyed and savoured.

We have been up on The Dodds many times and always enjoy the solitude that they provide. Despite their appeal, they never seem to be busy fells even though the walking and views are fantastic. We were staying in Troutbeck Head therefore decided to do without the car today and walked from the door - it would add just over 4 miles on to the route but what the hell - it was a nice day and what better way to spend it. The route today would head out from Troutbeck Head to Dowthwaitehead and then summit Birkett Fell, Hart Side, The Dodds and return to High Row via Randerside and the Old Coach Road. The walk can be made longer by carrying on from Great Dodd to Calfhow Pike & Clough Head to reach the Old Coach Road via White Pike.

The 2 miles from Troutbeck Head to High Row was fairly uneventful and is mainly walked along forest track and a very quiet road. Reaching High Row we carried on down the road to arrive at the small hamlet of Dowthwaitehead to where a path heads over a small bridge on to Watermillock Common. From here the path became a tad boggy but nothing too onerous and we soon arrived at a wall coming up from the northern end of Sheffield Pike. Crossing the wall at a stile we were now on its left hand side (although the wall can be crossed easily a bit further up at a gap) and followed the wall up steeply to reach the summit of Birkett Fell and a large cairn with an engraved plaque.

From Birkett Fell the next summit of Hart Side was clearly visible and we reached it via a carpet like grassy path that started off level and rose gently to reach the top. From Hart Side there is a wonderful view of The Dodds and beyond and we could see our path to Stybarrow Dodd stretching away to the south west. There are two paths visible to Stybarrow Dodd - one slants away to the right to reach the summit via the shortest way or there is a path to the left that visits the Birkett of White Stones on Green Side. We chose the latter, subsequently leaving White Stones to rejoin the right hand path near the summit of Stybarrow Dodd.

Stybarrow Dodd's summit is a flat expanse adorned by a cairn with a wind shelter to the north east. There are a couple of options from here and we chose to descend slightly on another grassy path to reach the summit of Watson's Dodd - there are superb views here for very little effort - over to Thirlmere and beyond plus Skiddaw & Blencathra. From the summit there is another easy walk on a long, gently sloping path to reach the dome like summit of Great Dodd - again there is a cairn here plus a wind shelter to the south of the summit. More great views aplenty from the summit, particularly to Clough Head & Blencathra. From Great Dodd there is the option to make the walk a few miles longer by heading due west to Little Dodd and then north west to Calfhow Pike and then on to Clough Head. However we decided to head down to the Old Coach Road to the delightful summit of Randerside from where we descended via an occasional boggy path to reach the Old Coach Road at Groove Beck. The path junction at Groove Beck is a lovely little spot for a break and we therefore did just that before walking the half mile or so to High Row. It was now a simple case of retracing our outward route from High Row back to our caravan at Troutbeck Head.

Any day on The Dodds is a great days walking - considering this was a Friday and a pleasant day to boot we only saw 1 other walker. Whilst The Dodds lacks the ruggedness of other parts of Lakeland, they still provide high level ridge walking with a remote feel and superb views.

Heading out from Troutbeck Head

Great Mell Fell to the left with Little Mell Fell to the right

A Great Mell Fell panoramic

On the quiet road to High Row with Birkett Fell & The Dodds ahead

The parking area at High Row - despite there being a few cars here, we saw 1 person all day

Birkett Fell

Dowthwaite Crag above Dowthwaitehead

A hazy Helvellyn Range over Glencoyne Head with Catstycam centre & Helvellyn to the rear

The path from Dowthwaite Head reaches a stile lower down from here - the wall is then followed to the summit of Birkett Fell

Ullswater over Swineside Knott & Common Fell

Approaching the summit of Birkett Fell - Fudge as usual is ahead of the game

The memorial cairn commemorates Lord Birkett of Ulverston who, in the 1960's successfully resisted proposals to turn Ullswater into a reservoir. He was also an early advocate of National Parks

The summit cairn on Birkett Fell with suitably engraved plaque

A Birkett Fell panoramic looking towards Ullswater

It was a lovely spot up on Birkett Fell

Heading for Hart Side

Looking back to Birkett Fell from the path to Hart Side

The summit of Hart Side

Hart Side summit looking to Great Dodd

White Stones, Stybarrow Dodd & Great Dodd from Hart Side

Our route from Hart Side leading to firstly White Stones then Stybarrow Dodd to the right

Layers & layers of fells

Looking back to Hart Side - Fudge is clearly enjoying this terrain

The cairn on White Stones as we head to Stybarrow Dodd

Raise & The Sticks Pass

Looking back to Hart Side from White Stones

Our path continues over to Stybarrow Dodd

The summit of Stybarrow Dodd looking to Great Dodd

This area on Stybarrow Dodd's summit is normally dry in the summer but today was a doggy swimming pool.Behind the makeshift tarn is a wind shelter built from the remnants of an old wall

Fells everywhere from Stybarrow Dodd's summit

Looking back to Stybarrow Dodd's summit from the shelter

Stybarrow Dodd summit panoramic

The path to Watson's Dodd

The summit of Watson's Dodd looking to Skiddaw & Blencathra

Stybarrow Dodd & Raise from Watson's Dodd

Looking towards St John's in the Vale, Keswick & Skiddaw from the summit of Watson's Dodd

Thirlmere

Angie contemplates the gentle rise to Great Dodd

The shelter on Great Dodd's south summit

The summit of Great Dodd

Clough Head, Skiddaw & Blencathra

Dropping down from Great Dodd to Randerside

The summit of Randerside looking to Clough Head & Blencathra

The path from Randerside to Cockley Moor plantation & The Old Coach Road

Back at High Row

Blencathra in the evening sun

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